10 Possible Oscar Contenders From The First Half Of 2014

10. Under the Skin

File this one under the “If only” category. Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, more than anything else on this list, stands almost no chance of getting Oscar attention. But the divisive, thought-provoking sci-fi flick is such a stunning accomplishment that it really should. Our reviewer Dominic Mill hit the nail on the head when he concluded in his four-and-a-half-star review that, “Under The Skin is a beautiful, confusing, unnerving sprawl of a film that all but begs for multiple viewings.” It’s brave, weird and utterly remarkable filmmaking.

If I was pulling any strings over at the Academy, I’d push for Under the Skin to get attention in a number of categories, but the one that surely every fan of the film can agree on is that Glazer deserves a Best Director nomination for his atmospheric, visually engrossing work. Scarlett Johansson gives one hell of a performance, but it’s too internalized and nonchalant for the Academy to feel the need to nominate her. In a perfect world, Daniel Landin would at least be in contention for his cinematography, but that’s not happening either. Still, if Glazer can work his way onto the ballots, that will be victory enough for a film as complex as Under the Skin.